Type 56

The Type 56 assault rifle is a variant of the AK-47 and AKM developed by China from 1956 to 1973 under State Factory 66 and since 1973 under the small arms company Norinco. It became the standard issue weapon of the People's Liberation Army and was popular with other Eastern Bloc or Third World countries, seeing action with guerrilla movements and socialist or communist countries. China gave the weapon to North Vietnam during the Vietnam War, and it also saw use in the Sri Lankan Civil War, Soviet-Afghan War, Iran-Iraq War, Gulf War, Yugoslav Wars, Afghanistan War, Iraq War, Syrian Civil War, Iraqi Civil War, and South Sudanese Civil War.